Visits to gay and bike friendly Vancouver, BC. 2002, 1997

See also 2003

Celebrating diversity, including LGBTA communities.  Vancouver's Davie Street neighborhood displays it's rainbow banners.
My Bike Route to Vancouver 
Queen Elizabeth Park
Cambie St. Bridge
Gay Parade 2003

After checking into a hotel in downtown Vancouver, I headed for "clothing optional" Wreck Beach.  It was another 15, or so, miles away.


An afternoon at Wreck Beach taken on another trip.  On one trip,
big waves were rolling out of the west.  People were body surfing.

By the time I got there, the sun was setting and people were leaving.  "Oh well, Wreck Beach was just an end point."  The trip, itself, is actually the destination.

This beach is great.  Sometimes close to 1,000 people are there, but comfortably spread out.  Food venders are available.  Canada is less up tight, for the most part, than USA.  Clothing optional beaches can be seen as legitimate recreational resources.  This one is located on University of British Columbia's campus; just down over the bluff.  Beach maintenance is a co-operative effort from the city, university and a non profit organization.  Both gay and non gay people enjoy the beach. 

At sunset more folks were clothed.  I bought a pop, from a beach vendor who was just starting to pack up to leave. Then I found a cute volley ball player with no shirt on, at least, to watch while I drank my pop.

At dusk I headed back up the long steps to my bike and rode back to downtown, discovering yet, another one of Vancouver's wonderful bikeways.

My hotel room was right around the corner from Davie Street, heart for much of Vancouver's gay night life.  Walking along Davie one experiences a city that is not only alive, but quite healthy, after dark.  Many communities are dead, except inside bars, but Davie St. offered lots of good food, bookstores and popular nearby beaches that were still being used at midnight. 

Next morning I bicycled back to Bellingham using only one bus segment; the #321 from Surrey to White Rock.  It is one of many bike rack equipped buses.

Rolling back into town, was a good time to relax in the sauna of my local gym.  Timing was right.  This friendly and handsome cyclist, I have visited with around town, was there. 

An intelligent conversation, even with a non gay man, is nice, especially in the nude.  Finding out a little more about someone, who is already slightly familiar, can be one of the best "on the beach" type experiences there is.

Exit to more information about Wreck Beach.

 

Another Vancouver Trip 1997

Saturday morning I dropped by the Fountain Bakery where the Bellingham Gay Hiking Group was to gather.  About 5 people were having breakfast and conversation, but there was no hike. As is sometimes the case, everyone had other plans for the day. 

One person said, "at least our jaws got exercise from the conversation."  It started raining again, so as the group parted, I thought I would spend the rest of the day at my computer. 

Someone had invited me to a birthday party up in Burnaby, B.C. and I thought it would be a fun bicycle ride.  The ride would take about 6 hours; approximately 50 miles by bike.  I could return next day since they offered to put me up for the night. 

Bike Shop Boys
As I turned on my computer, I noticed the rain had stopped.  Pavement was even dry.  That's a good day, by Bellingham standards.  I decided to ride toward the north anyway.  If it started raining again, one could always turn around and come back.  Even if I didn't get to Burnaby, and the party, it would be a nice ride with flowering cherry in bloom. 

When I got to the US Canadian border, it was still dry.  I decided to go across.  A map of Vancouver metro area led the way.

Part way into Canada, a large bike shop was on the left.  "Did they have any bike maps of the area?" 

They didn't, so it wasn't really worth crossing the busy street to go in, except for one thing.  A real cute, I mean really cute, cyclist was in there all dressed up in tight fitting lycra.  Just watching him pull up his shirt to wipe off his glasses made it worth going into the store.

Soon after that, I was at the house where the party was to begin.  Three people were celebrating birthdays; one of them being my friend Rick.  There were also lots of grad students from Simon Fraser University.  We danced in the living room.  At one point, I watched the floor flexing and had visions of dancers landing in the furnace room.  It was a nice way to flush out those winter doldrums.

 
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